


take me away, sunray

by tiedbows



Category: Given (Manga), Given - All Media Types
Genre: Akihiko wants to be better, Feelings, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Sleeping Together, Some manga spoilers, The non sexy kind, post chapter 28.5, set after Eve of Emergence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 06:42:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20756030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiedbows/pseuds/tiedbows
Summary: Akihiko wakes up early on a spring morning. It's the start of something new.





	take me away, sunray

**Author's Note:**

> and here marks my descent into given hell. i wasn't expecting to go this hard this fast but here we are. 
> 
> major thanks to sana for suffering with me through all of this. ilu!!
> 
> •
> 
> _Darling, I got my trust issues_  
_Warning, you stay away_  
_If we meet at the rendezvous_  
_Take me away, sunray_  

> 
> phum viphurit, **_lover boy_**

Akihiko wakes up to sunlight. 

His eyes crack open before they squeeze shut tight again and he shoves his face into the pillow until the stinging stops. It's too fucking bright. He's not used to this. 

Once he tries opening his eyes again, slowly, everything gradually starts to come into focus. For a brief moment, Akihiko forgets where he is. The room around him is bathed in gold. Beyond the window, the sky is mixed pink, yellow, purple and orange. It's ridiculously early, but he can't remember the last time he was awake to witness the dawn. 

There's movement next to him and suddenly, he feels wide awake. His back bumping into the wall behind him makes a soft thud, but it does not stir the person who is facing away from him. 

The nape of Haruki's neck is captivating in the light. Akihiko suddenly can't remember the last time he saw the smooth expanse of skin. He fights the urge to plant a kiss right below the hairline and sucks on his silver piercing instead. His boyfriend's shorter hair looks blond in the morning's golden cast, so soft, and he could imagine how it would look splayed out on the pillow once it grew out again, like a halo. 

If Haruki grew it out again. 

Akihiko pushes down the sour taste of guilt building up in the back of his throat. He would never be able to forgive himself for hurting such a wonderful person, who could still love him while at his worst and lowest point. It's why he made himself sleep on the couch the whole first week and a half after they officially got together when he stayed the night--which was almost daily--maintaining their old system from his initial stay. His own sad apartment basically acted as storage for the rest of his belongings that he couldn't bring with him. 

It's also how he found himself in Haruki's bed now.

Well, _their_ bed. Last night was a new turning point. 

_"Hey. Let's go." _

_Akihiko had looked puzzled at Haruki. "Go where? It's late." It was already past midnight and neither of them were dressed for going out. The local bars would be closing pretty soon, too. _

_The blush that tinged the bassist's cheeks should have been the first sign something was up, but Haruki blushing was nothing unusual. "To bed," he said. _

_Akihiko blinked. "I thought that's what we were doing? I just set up the couch." Next to him was a pillow and an unfolded spare blanket Haruki had been letting him use since the spring nights were still cool. _

_The flush crawled up to his ears like a wildfire. "My bed could fit both of us, I think. You practically live here again, and this place only has one room, so..." he trailed off, letting the words hang between them. _

_It was in that precise moment Akihiko found himself sporting a similar blush to his boyfriend's. "Ha?"_

_"Don't make me say it again." Haruki's voice came muffled from hiding his face in his hands. _

_Minutes later the pair found themselves in the bedroom, sitting awkwardly side by side. _

_"Ah, I like to sleep on my side, so that should leave enough space for you," Haruki started, staring down at his lap. "If you don't mind, I really prefer the right side of the bed, so you can get in first." _

_"Um, yeah. Sure. That's fine." Akihiko shifted further back until his shoulders just grazed the wall, and slid under the covers. He stared up at the ceiling as Haruki settled next to him. A hand's width of space separated them. _

_"Um. Goodnight." _

_"Goodnight, Haruki." _

Falling asleep took forever, but now the start of a new morning was spreading its warmth over them, with promise in its wake. A new day for a new beginning. 

As he watches the steady rise and fall of Haruki breathing, Akihiko suddenly aches to hold him, yet doesn't make a move. He's aware that he's been walking on eggshells in their relationship since moving back in. Even in their private moments, whether at home or during their routine smoke breaks at practice, he always makes a point to ask before he does anything now. Here, in bed, his wrists feel as weights are holding them down. A part of him feels like Haruki wouldn't object to waking up in his arms, but all it takes is one moment to remember the pained, betrayed look that's seared into Akihiko's memory to reconsider. 

He wants to spend the rest of his life making sure Haruki never makes that face ever again. 

Movement next to him snaps Akihiko out of his thoughts. In one near fluid motion, he finds himself suddenly looking at Haruki's profile as the older man rests on his back. He's still asleep, if his shut eyes and level breathing are any indication, but Akihiko still finds his heartbeat quickening. There's a bit of dried drooled on the corner of his mouth and some of the little hairs on his chin stick out in different directions. 

_Cute_, Akihiko thinks, and feels a ball of heat grow between his ribs, _even when he's sleeping_. How he got someone as beautiful and incredible as Haruki to love him was truly a blessing. 

He's caught off guard again when Haruki rolls over once more, this time right into Akihiko's personal space and chest. 

Everything seems to come to a full stop in an instant. He stops breathing, doesn't dare move an inch. The warm puff of air from a soft exhale ghosts across his chest. The clean, slightly floral scent of shampoo infiltrates his senses. 

The sleeping Haruki remains blissfully unaware of the internal panic he's put the drummer in. 

Fuck, they're so close. 

It almost feels like the universe is teasing him right now, putting his heart's desire within such easy reach. 

If it were up to Akihiko, the two of them would never leave the apartment, let alone the bed. The old lingering, greedy part of him wants to cover Haruki, consume him like a black hole and keep him and his heart all to himself. But things are different now. The new Akihiko knows that to smother Haruki's light would be to extinguish it. 

"Mmm, 'Hiko," came a sleepy mumble. 

His cheeks start to burn when Haruki curls forward, arms filling the void between them, head nestled perfectly in the space under Akihiko's chin and his forehead presses lightly at the base of his throat. Their knees bump together, and their legs are on the verge of tangling. 

It makes Akihiko's heart swell, witnessing how that even in his sleep, Haruki unconsciously seeks him out. And just like that, this simple act, the display of open vulnerability helps him cast those remaining fears aside. 

Akihiko pulls the sleeping man closer, presses a palm to Haruki's lower back and keeps it there. He likes the way those light brown silky strands feel against his skin when Akihiko rests his chin atop his boyfriend's head. He always wants to remember how this feels. All negative thoughts and emotions drift away -- now, everything just felt right. Whole. 

Within minutes, it becomes a struggle to keep his eyes open, so he didn't fight. Under the light of an ordinary spring morning, they sleep disturbed.

If every morning could be like this, well, Akihiko wouldn't mind it one bit. 

Haruki is a natural early riser. He enjoys his morning shifts at the cafe, and finds peace in preparing for the day. 

But right now, the last thing wants to do is leave his bed. He feels so cozy and incredibly warm, and he wouldn't mind basking in this comfort for a while longer. 

It's the soft snoring right by Haruki's ear that snaps him out of the sleepy haze and makes him hyperaware of the body wrapped around his. 

The heat spreads under his skin like a flame, from the tips of his ears down to his chest. 

_Uwaaaahhhhhh we're cuddling!! Is this for real?! He smells so good!_ Haruki's mind races and his heartbeat kicks into overdrive. 

The hand resting on the small of his back radiates heat through his thin t-shirt, and it feels like it will burn away under the touch. He has no idea how they got this way, but it’s impossible to stop the smile forming on his lips. It's every old daydream come to life. 

Haruki shifts carefully in the embrace to reach for his phone across the bed. It’s still early, and he doesn’t have to leave for work for a couple more hours. He would be getting up right about now to start the coffee and make their breakfast. 

Outside, the spring sky is a clear blue, without a cloud in sight. It’s an ordinary day. 

Haruki stares at his phone for a moment longer, before tossing it behind him onto the mattress and curling back up into the warm crook of Akihiko’s neck.

One more hour wouldn’t hurt. 

**Author's Note:**

> _Time and toys_  
_May fill my heart with joy_  
_I'll know peace when I'm your lover boy_
> 
> _I'll be your new school soul_   
_Silver and gold_   
_New desire_   
_Friends on fire_   
_Call me 'lover boy'_
> 
> •
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/tiedbows)


End file.
